Another H!P Blog

Tracklist: 1. Teion Yakedo 2. Shunrenka 3. I Need You ~Yozora no Kanransha~ 4-6. Instrumental tracks __ 1. Teion Yakedo 7/10 I was out for breakfast with two of my friends, one of which moved to Japan shortly after, when the mini-video was released. Immediately we were hooked on the visuals. The outfits, the somewhat-budget, and the fact it was smartphone-oriented, were the main point! The song is intense, which makes for Tsubaki’s “There has to be at least one intense song in every single” mindset. The instrumentation is a bit nostalgic, it reminds me of an old anime opening around the 2010s. It also marks the single where my girl Kiki is back in business!

There’s a lot of bittersweet refrains before each chorus. The thing I probably like most is that you can hear the fact that the girls have gotten a good amount of vocal training in before the recording. The emotions are definitely in their voice, and now they can even blend well. Tsubaki’s efforts are proudly shown in this song. The climax point is Yumeno’s solo in the beginning of the last chorus, really immersing us in the emotion of this winter song. My least favorite point in the song is possibly the dance break, where I feel like they really didn’t need to pull in some classic MoMusu sampling. But either way, I loved this song, and will be listening to it once in a while.

2. Shunrenka 10/10 I try to stay unbiased when it comes to reviews. I really do. But this song is the bop of the year for me. It’s an easy-going, light-hearted springy song, with a clear influence of Kobushi’s Sakura Night Fever when it comes to the filters on the MV, and the fact that management keeps Tsubaki and Kobushi’s concepts a bit knit together(haha get it?? cause theres knitting in shunrenka lol im not funny). 

The instrumentation immediately captures me. It’s airy, fun, and overall great-- It screams spring time, and makes you look forward to the weather getting warmer, and finally showing off your outfit cause its too cold to look good in the winter... lol.. Another personal point I get from this is how it reminds me of one of my favorite vocaloid songs, Milk and Coffee-- The bounciness making it sound like it could be used to montage a cooking compilation. The dance break ties the feelings of the song all together, not the mention, the actual dance break is gorgeous to look at-- how their arms correspond to the beat. It’s just great. It’s rare that I have a Hello Project song that I have little-to-no qualms about.

3. I Need You ~Yozora no Kanransha~ 5/10 Not gonna lie, but it’s the most boring song of the single. Not that I can’t appreciate it though; hearing a song where the girls aren’t constantly belting out notes is refreshing, it makes me want to listen to it on very certain occasions. We start the song off with classic Tsubaki “Let me just say an appeal line here for no reason”, but multipled by like... 400. I truly could’ve done without most of the speaking lines here, especially when all I can think about when I hear them is the ugly wotas in their rooms going batshit over their 15yr old crush talking about how they want them to say they love them.... haha... ew.

The instrumentation is deep and synthesized, with a heavy piano pulling all the sounds together. I especially enjoy the way it gets bouncy just before the chorus can hit- again with the emotions in this entire single- it’s just so fitting to the mood. It’s a very beautiful song, until the first chorus gets over with and we’re in some pseudo-dupstep trash arch. I do appreciate how the dance break comes after the first chorus rather than the second.... speaking of dance... It’s only been performed at the One-Man-Live so I’m hoping when they drop it on TGL, they’ll have a fitting dance. Maybe a bit more leg work, rather than vague hand signs. Either way, it’s definitely a study song for me, and I can say I’ll listen to it again.

 OVERALL: Instrumentation- 7.5/10 Costumes: 6/10 Music Video: 6/10

This is a pretty successful single for me. Shunrenka drew me in, gave me a succ, and made me fly into the sun. Teion Yakedo made me relate. I Need You made me want to take a nap. That, and my oshi Kiki is back, lookin like a snack, and ready to get her pale pink penlights in check. Yumeno is finally beginning to  get her facial expressions right. Their voices have grown, and management isn’t giving them poo poo since its their 3rd single in less than a year of debut. Not only that, but I went from shit talking them to loving them in less than a year too, good job yall. I hope we can get a more mature concept next single, though. 

Tracklist-

1. Jealousy Jealousy (Album Ver.) 2. Romance ni Mezameru Mousou Joshi no Uta 3. CHO DAI 4. Watashi no Nanni mo Wakacchanai 5. Jama Shinai de Here We Go!  6. Style of my love 7. Narcissus Kamatte-chan Kyousoukyoku Dai 5ban 8. Seishun Say A-HA 9. Wakaindashi 10. Mou Gaman Dekinai wa ~Love ice cream~ 11. Dokyuu no Go Sign 12. Koi wa Toki ni 13. Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari (Morning Musume '17 Ver.) 14. BRAND NEW MORNING 15. Ai no Tane (20th Anniversary Ver.)

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1. Jealousy Jealousy (Album Ver.) Coming right back in our faces with the tune that captured our hearts is Envy Envy, but SPARKLIER! Jealously is a tune with the funk-ish tune that would usually be gifted to a group such as Ju=Ju, but Tsunku-papa decided that it was time for a switcharoo. The vocals this time are much more clear, is the first thing I noticed of the Album Version, which is odd because usually albums from Up-Front are very over-mixed and muffled. This lets us know that there was a lot of effort put into the cleaning of this wonderful piece with a break down of an early-underground j-rap vibe. One thing that will always fascinate me about this sound is how the string instruments used here brings such a feeling of elegance, that it makes me feel like I’m rich while listening to it. Surely Tsunku understands and executes luxury in his spot on composition this time around. 

2. Romance ni Mezameru Mousou Joshi no Uta My first impression was a  woah! from the beginning instrumentals. Immediately I was thrown back into the early 2013-2014 EDM songs that Tsunku used to produce for Momusu such as [What is LOVE?], and I fell in love until.... They started to sing. One thing I’m not crazy about is when management pitches this intense, powerful instrumental and then they break it into this... childish, “I’m a kindergartener playing at the park” kind of melody. It’s done so much that it’s almost expected, but they got me this time, I’d say. Around the 3-minute mark, the melody gets very enjoyable for me, with more opera in the BG and a ballad reminiscent of The Vision. The fact that Morning Musume isn’t afraid of using soft high notes nowadays is great too.

3. CHO DAI Bitch I love fart-sounding electronic noises in my songs and it sounds like sarcasm but it’s high key not. One pattern that I’m starting to notice and it’s starting to irk me is the constant use of “one word” LONG REST  “one word”. It was very refreshing with [Seishun Kozou wa Naiteiru], but after being repeated about a hundred times, it’s just boring and needs to go. This song is a good example of what me and my friends call “Scrapped Melodies” because at some parts it just sounds like Narcissus but slightly different. If you want a clearer example of a scrapped melody, think of Brainstorming(@0:37) and Wakuteka(@1:00) with that one farking melody that’s like... the same melody.

4. Watashi no Nanni mo Wakacchanai This is the song I’d been anticipating the most on this album. After watching the recent Budokan footage of the song and my friend drilling me about how “Maachan fucked Sakura’s shit up here like do you not see that??!!”, The song grew on me to the point where I’d listen to the concert performance like it was an official track. It was also a great decision to keep this song behind bars until 2017 because in 2015 Riho sang some lines that were just... not her  strong point... honestly (@1:17 & 3:45). But other than the lack of charisma that lives bring to this song, this is a good put!

5. Jama Shinai de Here We Go!  Here We Go... again with the “one word” LONG REST  “one word”. Even though this song is a bop. There’s something about the subtle nature of this song that drew me in, despite it being a tad bit on the plainer side of a Momusu song. Though I’m still a bit thrown off by Chiichan, she knows how to blend well to the point of merging with the background. The dance, might I add, is just basically Angerme’s Ai Sae but slightly different, pffft.

6. Style of my love Very stylish! Brings me back to something akin to [Senobi] in a way. With a melody of an early action anime opening (I’d say Inuyasha, or a classic fantasy-shoujo anime,) This song knows how to advertise itself. With Haruna having a few solos in this, it really shines and radiates a glow to the instrumentals. The dance break was a bit underwhelming, but do I hear Maria??? Wow, she’s really growing into her voice. I have very few qualms about this song, and I’m generally pleased.

7. Narcissus Kamatte-chan Kyousoukyoku Dai 5ban Shamefully, I found myself whispering “Motto, Mitsumete...” multiple times through the day. And finally we don’t have those classic Momusu heavy harmonies on like 99% of the darn song, and they lowered it to a 97%, but I’m tapping my foot, waiting y’all. This song is nearly as stylish as Style of my Love, but theres some feeling of living luxurious, yet lonely and discontent. I’m digging the story in it, even though I know the lyrics must be some irrelevant diarrhea.

8. Seishun Say A-HA Gonna get this out here first: I didn’t like the song when I first heard it a few times. Then it grew on me a bit and I can generally say I have a love-hate with it LOL. LIKE IM SORRY, BUT this song sounds like a pirate song. Like everyone in momusu is a stank ass pirate with scurvy and they’re having a sailing montage to find treasure. But it’s... it’s catchy for some reason. ugh. why @ Tsunku

9. Wakaindashi Damn do I love Duu and this song in general, but the soft EDM is bothering me for some reason?? We are back with the “I’m a kindergartener playing at the park” melody and I’m still unnerved by “You can get fatter or skinnier” line like... why.... But this song is CUTE for Duu and therefore I support it. I also like the choreo in many ways. Duu controlling the wave is so cute. The dance break was pure.

10. Mou Gaman Dekinai wa ~Love ice cream~ Me while reading that Haga’s gettin a lot of lines cause its a quartet: AYYYYY Me listening to the song finally: wtf this is Like ok I like the fact that it’s more rock orientated but it’s like... a lil boring. Especially the whole “Mougamandekinaiwa” all fast and shit.. It didn’t fit. I feel like this is a early rock vocaloid song. But I enjoy the fact that Tsunku is experiementing with different genres. He really loves his job. #come back papa

11. Dokyuu no Go Sign I love this song wtf... It’s like a near perfect combo of rock and EDM. Maybe if momusu would stop with the heavy ass harmonies it’d show a little more of it’s capability. The style of the song makes momusu seem more united despite the crazy battle for center currently going on. And Miki getting more lines is chill af (They’re realizing Mizuki is gettin old lol). The blend of musical elements along with the message of the song makes more a good pick-me-up, hype yourself up tune! PLUS THE LAYERING OF HARMONIES INTO THE HOLIEST DANCE BREAK TUNE IS MY ACTUAL SHIT. The bridge after that is so celebratory and invokes a feeling of greatfulness, I love it.

12. Koi wa Toki ni It goes from a video game level to where you gotta sneak around characters to the classic “I’m a kindergartener playing at the park” melody... again. I’m really trying to get into this song but it’s very hard. It’s very plain and barely has any shine to it. One good thing I can say is that during the instrumental break, I’m reminded of early Kikuo songs and uh... I’m a whore for Kikuo so I fell for the break like a klutz. The use of unusual sounds here gives it a spacey vibe.

13. Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari (Morning Musume '17 Ver.) NGL Joshikashi gets more and more cringey each time (especially Nonaka Miki’s verse), so this is a song on the album I’ll rarely indulge in. I love the fact that Maria incorporates her love for baseball to her verse even though she’s not my oshi. I value her a lot LMAO. But other than that, it’s a good song to familiarize yourself with the girls’ voices.

14. BRAND NEW MORNING god I hate this song, So Jean Luc Ponpon is deemed worthy enough after Mukidashi was released and gained popularity, and they bring him back for another round of Tsunku vs. Ponpon and this time, in my opinion, he flops. Brand new morning just isn’t my cup of tea no matter how many times I listen to it, and usually I can make my brain like an H!P song if I listen to it a bunch of times. Something about this song is very lacking and monotone, and doesn’t really get the feeling of a new Era across to me. If anything, this is the Jealousy Era to me (because everyone in Momusu is salty rn).

15. Ai no Tane (20th Anniversary ver.) I still really like this song, even with the updated singers. It’s much more fine tuned than back in the day, which really shows how music production has changed over just a span of 20 years! Amazing how fast the world progresses, isn’t it? All I can say as a closing note for this updated piece is that I’m glad Tsunku didn’t turn it into some crazy ass dubstep wub-wub version of the original. Thank you Tsunku papa.

OVERALL: I’d rate this album a 7.2/10. I feel like there could have been much more style variation in the music, track by track, especially because Momusu is so “highly esteemed”. These girls need to tackle other genres with how far they’ve come, especially since the older eras would bounce between stuff like [Memory~ Seishun no Hikari] all the way to [Onna ni Sachi Are] back in the day. 

I’m also hoping that next time around, it isn’t Mizuki, Oda & the Backup Dancers. That’s one thing that bothers me the most out of his album.